Protection of pile hammers from foreign matter in hose supplying the operating fluid



Jan. 23, 1968 J. KUPKA 3,365,006

PROTECTION OF FILE HAMMERS FRQM FOREIGN MATTER IN HOSE SUPPLYING THE OPERATING FLUID 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1966 INVENTOR JOHN J. KUPKH BY g HTQOENEY J. J. KUPKA 3,365,006

HAMMERS FROM FOREIGN MATTER IN ING THE OPERATING FLUID Jan. 23, 1968 PROTECTION OF FILE HOSE SUPPLY Filed Feb. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I JOHN J KUPKQ BY 9 I FTT'TORNEY \f\\ Ma United States Patent Ofiice 3,3h5,fl% Patented Jan. 23, 1968 PROTECTIGN F PllLfiHAB/Ih IERS FROM FGEEIGN lllATTER 1N HGSE SUPPLHN G THE ()PERA ENG FLUID .lohn .l. Kupka, Gladstone, NJL, assignor to KHG Associates, Merrick, N.Y., a partnership Filed Feb. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 526,455 (:laims. (Cl. 173-171) The invention herein disclosed relates to the protection of fluid pressure operated pile hammers from foreign matter in the hose supplying pressure to the hammers.

In transporting and setting up these hammers, the hose is often dragged over rough ground and possibly run over by accompanying trucks and tractors, in the course of which the hose may accumulate an appreciable amount of dirt or be broken down in structure.

A present difficulty is that such latent faults or injury to the hose may not be apparent and may only become known when the hammer stops and has to be taken down, to find the trouble; a costly and time-consuming procedure.

This may show the hammer choked by entrained dirt or by fragments of metal or rubber broken down from the metal reinforced rubber hose used.

Objects of the invention are to provide a protective device of simple, substantial construction which can be quickly and easily applied and which will avoid and prevent difliculties such as mentioned.

Further it is a purpose of the invention to accomplish the foregoing with a form of construction which will catch and hold entrained matter without creating back pressure or obstructing or retarding free flow of pressure fluid and which may be readily cleared of collected materiaL.

These and other desirable objects are accomplished in this invention by a novel combination and arrangement of parts, including the provision of an elongated tubular member adapted to be connected to the hammer in place of and adapted to receive the end of the hose and having solid matter entrapping passages, substantially equal in cross sectional area to that of the hose.

Other novel features and objects accomplished by the invention are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification are illustrative of present practical embodiments of the invention, but as will become apparent, structure may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration; all within the true intent and scope of the invention, as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 in the drawing is a side elevation of a typical pile hammer having the invention applied thereto; the wall of the hammer broken away to show the protective member screwed into the hammer in place of the hose and the hose coupled to this member.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the member as connected in the body of the hammer.

FIG. 3 is a broken detail showing how the invention may be applied to a hammer having a horizontal, instead of a vertical supply inlet, such as first shown.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the latter.

The hammer illustrated at 5 in FIG. 1 is of an approved design, operating on steam or compressed air and having a chest 6 for the pressure fluid, provided with a screw socket 7, in the bottom, for normal reception of a reducing nipple threaded to receive the coupling nipple on the end of the hose.

The supply hose is designated 8 and is shown as equipped with the usual coupling nipple 9, having a pipe thread to match the thread of the reducing nipple or bushing usually threaded into the screw socket in the bottom of the hammer.

The protective device is a tubular member 10, of a cross sectional area approximating that of the hose, closed at the inner end at 11 and having an internal screw socket 12 at the outer end matching that of the hose nipple and above that an external screw thread 13 matching the screw socket 7, in the hammer.

By reason of this combination, after removal of the screw bushing above referred to, the tubular member may be screwed into the hammer in place of the hose and the hose then be screwed into the outer end of the member, instead of into the hammer.

Member it is elongated as appears in FIG. 2 and the wall of this elongated portion is perforated with a number of relatively small solid particle stopping passages 14. equaling in total area the cross sectional area of the hose, to avoid back pressure on the hose or retardation of flow to the hammer.

The edges of these passages may be smoothly rounded as indicated to afford free flow of the operating fluid.

FIG. 1 shows how the supply chest of the hammer has space above the hose inlet socket to freely accommodate and provide space about this elongated, perforated portion of the protective safety unit described.

This unit may be made up in one piece, or as shown in FIG. 2, the inner end of the tubular portion may be closed by an inserted disk 15, peened or otherwise secured in place.

To adapt the invention to a hammer having the hose inlet in the side of the same, a construction like that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be employed.

In these views, the hammer 16 is shown as having a horizontally extending screw threaded inlet 17, and a special elbow 18, is provided having the horizontally extending portion 19 externally threaded to screw into the inlet 17 and the upright portion internally threaded at 20 to take the upper end of an externally screw threaded pipe section 21.

The lower end of this pipe section is externally threaded at 22 to match the internally screw threaded upper end of a cap or closure 23, having a smaller diameter internally screw threaded socket 24 to receive the externally screw threaded lower end 25 of the perforated protective tube or guard 26 and internally screw threaded at the lower end at 27, to take the screw nipple 9 on the end of the hose.

The protector tube may be perforated the same as in the first illustration with the passages totaling the cross sectional area of the hose and the supporting pipe section 21 may be enough larger than the tube to prevent any loss by back pressure or retarded flow.

The supporting pipe section 21, with elbow 13, constitute in effect an extension or portion of the supply chamber of the hammer.

The invention provides a relatively inexpensive small unit readily applicable to hammers in use and guarding them against injury from included foreign matter in the supply hose.

The units may be readily cleaned when necessary by simply disconnecting the hose and unscrewing them from the supporting structure.

In the first illustrated form of the invention, the protection tube is shown as having an enlarged, shouldered head 23 at the outer end for engagement by a wrench for turning it into place and similarly the cap or closure 23 in the second illustrated form may have a head portion 29 engageable by a wrench or similar tool.

What is claimed is:

1. Protection for a pile hammer against dirt, and broken fragments of hose entrained in hose supplying operating fluid to the hammer, wherein such hose is normally connected with the hammer by a screw fitting on the end of the hose engaged in a screw socket in the body of the hammer,

the improvement comprising an elongated tubular member, closed at one end and having an external screw thread at the opposite end corresponding to the screw socket of the hammer and an internal screw socket corresponding to the screw fitting of the hose, adapting said member to be connected with the hammer in place of the hose and the hose to be connected by engagement of the fitting thereon with said internal screw socket in the end of said tubular member,

said tubular member having a cross sectional area approximately the cross sectional area of the hose and having a multitude of solid particle retaining passages in the wall of the same, with a total cross sectional area approximately the cross sectional area of the hose, to normally prevent back pressure on the hose and having smoothly rounded edges to atlord free flow of pressure fluid.

2. The invention according to claim 1; in which the external screw threads of said member are of larger diameter than said internal screw threads, with a stop shoulder at the outer end of the same to match the correspondingly screw threaded socket in the hammer.

3. Protector for a pile hammer having a screw threaded inlet for connection of a fluid pressure supply hose, comprising,

a tube closed at one end and open at the opposite end and having external screw threads at said opposite open end for enabling it to be mounted in the screw threaded inlet of a pile hammer in place of the supply hose usually connected therewith,

said tube having a cross sectional area substantially equal to that of the hose replaced by it and having numerous small openings in the wall thereof substantially equal to the cross sectional area of said hose, and

screw means at said open end of the tube for effectin connection of the hose therewith.

4. For protection of a fluid pressure operated pile harnmer from foreign matter in hose carrying operating fluid to the hammer,

the combination with a pile hammer having a supply chamber provided at the bottom with a screw threaded inlet and a hose having a screw fitting on the end thereof for coupling the same to the hammer,

an elon ated protective tube of a cross sectional area corresponding to that of the hose,

said tube extending in the inlet clear up into said chamber,

said tube being closed at the inner end and having numerous small openings in that portion of the tube within the chamber equal in total area to the cross sectional area of the hose,

said tube having external screw threads at the lower end thereof engaged in said screw threaded inlet, and

internally screw threaded means at said lower, end of said tube engaged by said screw fitting on the end of the hose and whereby said tube is protectively disposed at the connection of the hose with the hammer, without restricting supply of the operating fluid to the hammer.

5. The invention according to claim 4, with an elbow connected with the hammer and an upright pipe section connected at the upper end with said elbow, of larger diameter than said tube and forming part of said supply chamber, and said internally threaded means comprising a closure for the lower end of said pipe sectiornhaving alarger diameter portion in screw threaded engagement with the lower end of the pipe section and a smaller diameter portion receiving the lower end of the protective tube.

References fired UNITED STATES PATENTS C. MATTERN, 1a., Primaly Examiner.

L. P. KESSLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. PROTECTION FOR A PILE HAMMER AGAINST DIRT, AND BROKEN FRAGMENTS OF HOSE ENTRAINED IN HOSE SUPPLYING OPERATING FLUID TO THE HAMMER, WHEREIN SUCH HOSE IS NORMALLY CONNECTED WITH THE HAMMER BY A SCREW FITTING ON THE END OF THE HOSE ENGAGED IN A SCREW SOCKET IN THE BODY OF THE HAMMER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR MEMBER, CLOSED AT ONE END AND HAVING AN EXTERNAL SCREW THREAD AT THE OPPOSITE END CORRESPONDING TO THE SCREW SOCKET OF THE HAMMER AND AN INTERNAL SCREW SOCKET CORRESPONDING TO THE SCREW FITTING OF THE HOSE, ADAPTING SAID MEMBER TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE HAMMER IN PLACE OF THE HOSE AND THE HOSE TO BE CONNECTED BY ENGAGEMENT OF THE FITTING THEREON WITH SAID INTERNAL SCREW SOCKET IN THE END OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER. 